National Day of Mourning: What's open and closed on Wednesday; funeral plans

Caitlyn Kelleher Director of Multimedia @CMKelleher

Monday

Dec 3, 2018 at 3:15 PMDec 4, 2018 at 12:43 PM

George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States, died on Nov. 30, and President Donald Trump has declared Wednesday, Dec. 5, a National Day of Mourning.

The National Day of Mourning will occur on the day the former 94-year-old president, a World War II combat veteran, is remembered in a state funeral in Washington, D.C., six days after his death. Four former presidents and President Donald Trump will be attending his funeral at the National Cathedral.

The last funeral for a former president was the one for Gerald Ford, who died on Dec. 26, 2006 and was buried Jan. 2; Ronald Reagan had died two years earlier in June 2004. Bush's wife, Barbara, died in April; they were married for 73 years.

NATION MOURNING

As part of the national day of mourning, means federal offices will be closed. Here is a breakdown of what is closed:

The flag of the United States be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions for a period of 30 days from the day of his death.
All federal offices, some banks and courts will be closed.
The United States Postal Service will suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity. The Postal Service will provide limited package delivery service on that day to ensure that the network remains fluid.
The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will also be closed. U.S. traders also observed a moment of silence before markets opened on Monday in honor of Bush.
The Supreme Court is delaying arguments by a day for the national day of mourning.

TRANSPORT FROM HOUSTON TO WASHINGTON

Bush's body will be transported by a motorcade Monday morning from a Houston funeral home to Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, a Texas Air National Guard base. The casket will be loaded onto a plane during a departure ceremony scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. CST and flown to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Relatives accompanying the casket will include his sons, former President George W. Bush and Neil Bush, along with members of their immediate families. The rest of the Bush family is expected to be at Joint Base Andrews when the body arrives.

Houston will host a public tribute to Bush on Monday night. Mayor Sylvester Turner has urged attendees to wear colorful socks, a nod to the former president's fondness for sporting loud socks often emblazoned with unusual patterns during public events.

The late President Bush loved to wear colorful socks. Please wear yours to the public tribute at City Hall Monday night and bring new pairs to donate to homebound seniors for the holidays.pic.twitter.com/BBgOAWvyl6

&mdash; Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner)December 2, 2018

Bush spokesman Jim McGrath tweeted Monday that Bush will be laid to rest wearing gray socks honoring his days as a naval aviator.

The 41st President will be carried to his final rest wearing socks that pay tribute to his lifetime of service, starting as an 18 year-old naval aviator in war. That legacy is now being carried, in part, by the brave, selfless men and women aboard@CVN77_GHWB.#Remembering41pic.twitter.com/OabtK756fO

&mdash; Jim McGrath (@jgm41)December 3, 2018

STATE FUNERAL IN WASHINGTON

In Washington, Bush will lie in state in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol from Monday at 7:30 p.m. EST until Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. EST. His casket will be transported by motorcade Wednesday morning to the National Cathedral, where a state funeral will be held at 11 a.m. EST. President Donald Trump, who ordered federal offices closed on Wednesday for a national day of mourning, is to attend with first lady Melania Trump.

The speakers at this event will include his son, former President George W. Bush, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, former Senator Alan Simpson, R-Wyoming, and presidential biographer Jon Meacham, who also eulogized Barbara Bush.

George H.W. Bush believed In the essential goodness of Americans, writes Jon Meachamhttps://t.co/lmxWuszTJ0

&mdash; Jon Meacham (@jmeacham)December 2, 2018

RETURN TO HOUSTON

Following the service at the National Cathedral, Bush will be flown to Houston on Wednesday with a scheduled arrival of around 4:30 p.m. CST. His body will be transported by motorcade to St. Martin's Episcopal Church, where he and his wife regularly worshiped. A public viewing of Bush's casket will be held at the church from 6:45 p.m. CST on Wednesday until 6 a.m. CST on Thursday.

During this service Bush's grandson George P. Bush will speak as will Bush's best friend, James Baker, Bush's chief of staff and Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury.

My grandfather was the greatest man I ever knew. His life spanned the American Century—he fought in World War II ... took part in the Texas oil boom ... served out a distinguished career in public service including serving as president during the final days of the Cold War.pic.twitter.com/6i68EPVC3j

&mdash; George P. Bush (@georgepbush)December 1, 2018

On Thursday, a private funeral service with about 1,200 invited guests will be held at the church starting at 10 a.m. CST. After the hour-long service, a motorcade will transport Bush's casket to a train station north of Houston, near the international airport named after Bush.

A ceremony will be held at the train station as Bush's casket is loaded onto a Union Pacific train. The train will take about 2½ hours to travel roughly 70 miles to the city of College Station, home to Bush's presidential library at Texas A&M University.

President and Mrs. Bush were frequent guests at Kyle Field along with many other@TAMU athletic venues. We will cherish their time with us forever.

Use the hashtag#Honoring41 to share your memories/photos of#Bush41.

Rest in peace, Mr. President.pic.twitter.com/Ir1LBAV3Bl

&mdash; Texas A&amp;M Football (@AggieFootball)December 2, 2018

The locomotive has been painted the colors of the Air Force One plane used during Bush's presidency and bears the number "4141" in honor of the 41st president. The casket will be in a car with Plexiglas windows to allow people to see it during the trip, according to family spokesman Jim McGrath.

BURIAL IN COLLEGE STATION

The train is scheduled to arrive in College Station on Thursday around 3:45 p.m. CST. Bush's casket will then be transported by motorcade to the presidential library, where he will be buried at the gated family plot near his wife and their daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3. Barbara Bush died on April 17 at their Houston home. The couple was married for 73 years , longer than any other U.S. presidential couple.

Ceremonies at the presidential library will include a missing man formation flyover. The casket will then be rolled along a path through woods, over a bridge and over a creek for burial during a private graveside service with Bush's family.

Spent a wonderful day at College Station back in 2011. George H.W. Bush. Thank you for your service sir. R.I.P. God blesspic.twitter.com/K4IGhd2hqD